Andrew Flintoff will play his first Test for 18 months after England captain Michael Vaughan confirmed the all-rounder has been named in the team to play South Africa in the second Test, starting here at Headingley on Friday.

Flintoff has not played Test cricket, because of a combination of ankle and side injuries, since captaining the side during a defeat against Australia at Sydney in January 2007 which saw England lose the Ashes 5-0.

England have fielded the same team for a world record six successive Tests. But although Vaughan said Flintoff would bat at No 7, he did not reveal whom he would replace in the side that drew the first Test at Lord's.

Vaughan said left-arm quick Ryan Sidebottom was still struggling with the back strain that hampered him at Lord's and that, as a consequence, England would not name their side until the morning of the match in order to give the Nottinghamshire seamer time to prove his fitness.

England have added Hampshire seamer Chris Tremlett to their 12-man squad as a cover for Sidebottom.

"We are waiting on Ryan Sidebottom's injury," Vaughan told reporters. "He's got a stiff back today. We are not going to know until the morning whether he's available to play tomorrow (Friday)"

"I will say that Freddie will play. He'll bat at No7. Then the decision will be made whether we go for four bowlers or five bowlers. Whatever we chose, Freddie will bat at seven.

"I think his style of play is very much suited to that position. He's very attacking," Vaughan added. "He can take the game away from the opposition from that position."

Flintoff's preference is to bat at No 6 but with his star performer having missed England's last 17 Tests, Vaughan said: "Batting him at No 7, takes a little bit of pressure off him. Number six is quite high up, we want to relieve him of that pressure.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith, asked if England's decision to play Flintoff at seven meant he was more of a threat with the ball than the bat, replied: "You've got to respect both facets of his game.

"Obviously, Michael sees him more as a frontline bowler. In terms of batting, he is added value. In the 2005 Ashes he played some key knocks. He's a guy you've got to really respect on both fronts."

Wicket-keeper Tim Ambrose is now set to bat at number six, assuming the out-of-form Paul Collingwood, who has scored just 39 runs in five Test innings this season, is dropped.

Ambrose too has found runs hard to come, but Vaughan said: "Big scores are generally put on by the top five.

"Two of the top five (Ian Bell with 199 and Kevin Pietersen with 152) made big hundreds at Lord's (where England piled up 593 for eight declared before making South Africa follow-on)."

Sidebottom has, in Vaughan's words "been a revelation" since returning to the Test side last year with 73 wickets in 16 Tests.

Asked if he could make-do with a less than fully fit Sidebottom, Vaughan replied: "He still bowls very well at 80, 81mph. But in his own mind, he wants to be back at 83, 84mph because he gets that snappy swing, that late swing. "That's when Ryan is at his best but he needs to be very confident in his own body to be able to do that.

"He'll make that decision in the morning and I hope as a captain he comes through because he's been a revelation in the last year."

England's bowlers only managed three more wickets after making the Proteas follow-on at Lord's but Vaughan was confident Headingley would live up to its reputation as a result wicket.

"I've no question there will be a result here, there are generally never many draws at Leeds. If we produce a similar performance, I'm sure we'll go 1-0 up."

Friday's match will see Vaughan, on his Yorkshire home ground, captain England for the 50th time in Tests.

"It's a huge honour but you only get to that achievement by having good players, good management and winning games of cricket," he said.

"You only win games with good players and I'm just the lucky one to have had a few."

Kevin Pietersen warned his England team that he won't tolerate them sliding into a comfort zone after wrapping up the one-day series against South Africa.
Despite seeing his hopes of a 5-0 whitewash shattered by the Cardiff rain, with only three overs bowled on Wednesday before the fifth and final match was abandoned, Pietersen said he was satisfied with the progress made.

South Africa coach Mickey Arthur hinted that some of the senior members of his team may have played their last one-day internationals following the 4-0 one-day series defeat by England.
The home side completely dominated the one-day series after losing the Test series 2-1 in August.

England captain Kevin Pietersen and all-rounder Andrew Flintoff are among seven players who have been made unavailable to their counties for the rest of the English domestic season.
England coach Peter Moores confirmed Hampshire batsman Pietersen and Lancashire star Flintoff will be rested during September following the final one-day international against South Africa at Cardiff on Wednesday.

England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff believes his promotion to number five has boosted his form with the bat.
Flintoff starred in Sunday's seven wicket win over South Africa in the fourth one-day international at Lord's scoring 31 not out to add to half centuries at Headingley and the Oval.